


Heart of the Fox

by the_duck_bride



Category: the GazettE
Genre: AU, Angst, Comedy, Fluff, Legends, M/M, Smut, Supernatural Elements
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-14
Updated: 2016-01-14
Packaged: 2018-05-13 21:45:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5718208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_duck_bride/pseuds/the_duck_bride
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Things in this world are never as they seem and, sometimes, we have to learn that lesson the hard way. Just when you think you know everything, life can throw you the most shocking of curve-balls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Noise blasted through the amplifiers as the mediocre band on the small stage played disarrayed chords, the screechy voice of the lead vocalist piercing patrons’ ears. Akira never understood why his manager insisted on hiring crappy bands. The greying man always said that he ‘just wanted to help them get started’. But some of the groups he hauled in were like listening to constant nails down a chalkboard for hours on end.

 

Akira felt a shiver go up his spine as the tiny female vocalist hit a particularly screechy note. As he looked around he saw the faces of the customers contorted in clear discomfort. What was even worse was the fact that the bar itself was quite small and it was successful in trapping in a fair amount of noise. With a sigh, Akira threw down the cloth he was using to wipe a glass clean and trudged towards the back of the semi-crowded bar arriving at the door to his manager’s office. The name plaque on the door glinted at him in the dim light, announcing that Nakamura Daichi was placed securely behind the soundproof door.

 

“Lucky bastard,” Akira mumbled as he brought his fist up and knocked on the door.

 

He only just heard a faint ‘come in’ from behind the door. Entering into the slightly cramped space, Akira shut the door behind him, noticing that the sound of possibly the world’s shittest band was almost completely blocked out.

 

“Daichi, man,” Akira began. Usually employees weren’t meant to speak to their bosses so casually, but Akira had worked at the bar for long enough that he didn’t need to worry about formalities anymore. “You’ve _got_ to do something about that band. They fuckin’ suck.”

 

Daichi sighed, “Come on Akira. Can’t you just put up with them for a bit longer? I know they aren’t your favourite genre… But it’s exceedingly hard to find bands that are willing to perform in a gay bar. You know that, right?”

 

“Yeah, I know that.” Of course he knew that. People had all kinds of misconceptions about gay bars. Everyone thought that all the men who went there wore poorly applied makeup and either heaps of leather or way too much spandex. People thought it was all tight-fitting leopard print pants, glitter, and hairspray. Of course, sometimes a guy exactly like that would stroll through the door, but it was a rarity. Really, The Blue Lagoon was just like any other bar. The only difference was it provided a safe place for homosexual men to enjoy a drink without being ridiculed by the rest of society. “But these guys _actually_ suck, man. Come and have a listen,” Akira nodded his head in the direction of the main part of the bar.

 

With an exasperated sigh Daichi stood up and came out from behind his desk. Akira held the door open and trailed behind him until they reached the bar counter. The well-built blond watched his manager’s face twist into the same look of discomfort as the rest of the men in the room and he couldn’t help but smirk triumphantly.

 

“Alright, I see your point,” Daichi said after all of about thirty seconds of listening to the band he’d never even bothered to learn the name of. “I’ll sort it out.” He patted his junior’s shoulder. “Now get back to work, you.”

 

Akira chuckled, “Yes boss.”

 

Within the next ten minutes the deafening excuse for music was shut off and a pissed off looking band were packing away their equipment. Akira wondered what Daichi had actually said to them. With a chuckle he returned behind the bar just in time to take few orders. Once people had been served and he’d swapped pleasant chit-chat with a few regulars, the blond bartender was back to wiping clean glasses and putting them away.

 

“I assume you’re the one who got them kicked off the stage?” A bright voice asked, causing Akira to spin around and lean back against the bench top.

 

He smiled at his co-worker, a cheery young boy with long brown hair, usually tied up in a high pony tail, who never had a bad word to say about anyone. Chuckling, Akira nodded triumphantly, “Of course, who else but the wonderful me?”

 

His bubbly workmate snorted, “Don’t be so cocky. Besides, they weren’t _that_ bad.”

 

“Oh, come on, Yutaka,” Akira folded his arms over his broad chest, studying his friend. “Don’t give me that bullshit. You’re only saying that because you’re way too nice for your own good. They were shit.”

 

Yutaka shrugged, “They could use a little more practice… But I wouldn’t say they’re shit.”

 

“Yutaka.” Akira walked closer and slapped his hands down on the younger boy’s slim shoulders, drawing a small squeak out of him. Bending down slightly, Akira stared directly into Yutaka’s chocolate brown orbs, a look of total seriousness on his handsome features. “They were fucking terrible.”

 

Yutaka burst out laughing and slapped at one of Akira’s arms, “Oh, don’t be so horrible.”

 

Drawing back, Akira smirked and shrugged, “Hey, that’s just what I am.” He returned to his side of the bar and picked up the cloth again, wiping out a glass and placing it back in one of the cabinets behind him.

 

“No, that’s nothing like you,” the bubbly brunette pointed out. “You’re probably the nicest person I know.”

 

“Eeh!” Making a noise that was meant to sound like a buzzer; Akira spun around and looked at his friend again, waving the cloth in his direction. “Wrong! You’re the nicest person _anyone_ knows. Seriously, we need to work on building up a dickhead side to you.”

 

“Come on, Akira,” he playfully chided his blond co-worker. “I’m not going to be an arse just for the sake of being an arse. Besides, that’s your job, isn’t it?”

 

“Oi!” Akira threw his cloth at Yutaka who was giggling relentlessly. “How rude,” he feigned offence as he placed a hand over his heart.

 

Yutaka’s giggling rose to hysterics as Akira continued to act hurt. “Don’t be like that, Aki-chan,” the brunette picked up the cloth that’d been thrown at him and whipped Akira lightly on the arm.

 

Akira scrunched up his face in disgust, “How many timed have I told you not to call me that?”

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Aki-chan,” Yutaka covered his mouth as he continued to giggle. Akira just glared at the slightly shorter brunette, lightly smacking him upside the head. “Ouch!” He glared at the older man, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Oh, come on,” Akira scoffed. “That didn’t hurt. Stop being a baby, Yutaka.” The young brunette just poked his tongue at Akira and sulkily returned to his side of the bar. Akira clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. “So childish,” he mumbled to himself.

 

Returning to his duties as a bartender, Akira watched the clock tick towards midnight. He knew he wouldn’t be leaving the place until at least four in the morning. But such was the life of a bartender. He’d been in the business for almost nine years, since he’d turned twenty. Of course, it wasn’t what he’d originally planned to do, but it wasn’t bad work; in fact he quite enjoyed it. The place was nice and welcoming, his boss was a great guy, his co-workers gave him no trouble and the customers were friendly more often than not. He’d made a few really great friends from working at the bar; friends he knew he could rely on.

 

He hadn’t realized he’d been off in dreamland until he heard a tapping sound on the bar and someone clearing their throat.

 

“I’m so sorry,” Akira said as he fumbled to put down the glass he’d probably been wiping for the past ten minutes and slung his newly acquired cleaning cloth over his shoulder. “What can I get for you toni-”

 

Akira stopped mid-sentence when he turned around to face the man standing on the other side of the bar counter. He had to struggle to keep his jaw from hitting the ground. He guessed this could be considered one of those one-off moments when you don’t get just any regular guy strolling through the door. The man in front of Akira was nothing short of gorgeous. A black leather jacket adorned by a few studs sat over a form fitting crimson button up shirt, showing off the man’s wonderfully slim torso. His purposely tousled raven hair brushed his shoulders, framing his face nicely, and his fringe hung across one eye. His lips were plush and had an oddly beautiful shape to them, his nose pointed and petite, and he wore well-applied black eye shadow. With his thin face, arched eyebrows, and high cheekbones, Akira could only describe his appearance as fox-like. But what really caught the blond bartender’s attention was his eyes, which were a beautiful and exotic shade of emerald green. At first he’d thought they were contact lenses, but after studying them for a moment he’d decided that they were definitely natural. Having an eye colour like that was extremely uncharacteristic of anyone Japanese, so Akira came to the conclusion that he must have had some European influence somewhere along the line.

 

Akira regathered his wits and leaned casually against the counter. “What can I get for you?”

 

The newcomer stared at him for longer than what the average person would and it made the bartender feel slightly uncomfortable. “A tonic and tequila,” he announced in a deep voice that sounded like velvet.

 

Akira quickly got to work, putting a few ice cubes in a glass, pouring in a splash of the strong alcohol and mixing in a good amount of tonic. Pushing in a wedge of lime and a straw, Akira turned around and placed the finished product on the bar counter with a smile. The mysterious man pushed the money across the counter and Akira gratefully accepted it.

 

The dark haired man removed his leather jacket and slung it over the back of the chair as he sat with one of his slim legs crossed over the other, Akira could see now that he was wear tight-fitting ripped black jeans and a pair of fancy leather shoes. He stared out over the area like he was searching for something.

 

Akira cleared his throat, not really knowing how to start a conversation besides the obvious way. But he figured it was better than nothing. “So,” he stared, gaining the man’s attention. “I haven’t seen you before. What brings you here?”

 

He took a sip from his drink and leaned forward, putting his elbows on the countertop, lean fingers circling the top of his glass. “Just scoping out a few new places.”

 

“Yeah? And how does this place stack up to others?” Akira didn’t see the harm in a little flirting; the guy _was_ incredibly good looking after all.

 

“Hm,” the raven man looked at the bartender with his piecing green eyes and smirked, eyes travelling up and down his body. “I think it’s pretty great so far.”

 

Akira chuckled, “What’s your name, newbie?”

 

“Kouyou. Takashima Kouyou,” he smiled endearingly and leaned ever so slightly closer. “And yours?”

 

“Suzuki Akira,” the blond bartender said, folding his arms and leaning his hip against the countertop. “It’s nice to meet you, Takashima-san.”

 

“Oh, please,” Kouyou raised and hand as if a signal to stop. “Call me Kouyou.”

 

Akira stared at the man for a moment, taken aback by how casual he was. He lacked the usual formality of a Japanese person, not that Akira was really complaining. It was just uncharacteristic of the regular Japanese man.

 

Akira smiled, “Alright, Kouyou. In that case, feel free to call me Akira.”  

 

_‘He looks like he’d be a really good fu-’_

 

“Akira!” Yutaka’s chirpy voice cut into his thoughts as the young brunette practically materialized beside him. “Where can I find the-” Yutaka stopped when he spotted who Akira was chatting to. “Uruha…” He mumbled, staring wide-eyed at the raven haired man.

 

“Eh?” Akira frowned, looking at Yutaka. “What are you talking about? This is Kouyou.”

 

If Yutaka had heard what Akira said he just ignored it, not breaking his apparent staring contest with Kouyou who’d also turned to attention from Akira to the other man. Kouyou smirked, though the blond bartender wasn’t quite sure why.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?” Yutaka spat. The bitterness was a side to the young man Akira had never seen before, and the sudden change in attitude had him completely befuddled for a moment. But he guessed from the way the young man stared at Kouyou they had some kind of sour history.

 

Kouyou chuckled darkly. “Hello, Kai. It’s been a long time, ne?” Obviously he was trying to take the innocent approach to the whole situation. “I’ve been looking for you.”

 

Yutaka inhaled sharply, “You need to leave. Now.”

 

“Yutaka, don’t be so rude,” Akira scolded his friend. “What’s gotten into you?” But his words fell on deaf ears as the pair continued to stare at each other; Yutaka glaring and Kouyou seeming smug.

 

“What’s wrong, Kai? All I did was come for a drink,” Kouyou shifted in his chair so he was no longer facing Akira, now turned towards the fired up little brunette. “And Akira, here, was being _very_ welcoming. I’ve taken quite a liking to him.”

 

Yutaka’s eyes widened even more. “Get out, Uruha.”

 

Akira was quickly losing his patience. He hated being ignored and he hated not knowing what was going on. Here these two were having a conversation, acting like he wasn’t even there, ignoring every word he said. What the hell was going on?

 

“Hm…” Kouyou hummed, pretending to think for a moment. “I don’t want to. I think I’ll stay here for a little longer. I have lovely company after all.” The raven man reached out and ran his long, dainty fingers over the hand Akira was resting on the countertop. When the blond looked at him he flashed a deviously flirtatious smile.

 

Yutaka went rigid. “Uruha,” he snapped. “I told you I never wanted to see you ever again.”

 

“Come now, Kai,” Kouyou chided. “Don’t be that way. Can’t I at least come by for a visit?”

 

“No,” Yutaka glowered darkly.

 

Akira looked between the two of them. He was fed up with this. Slamming a palm down on the counter of the bar he gained both of the men’s attention; Yutaka jumping slightly and Kouyou calmly turning his head to look questioningly at the blond. “What the hell is going on? How do you know each other? Why are you calling him Uruha?” he looked at Yutaka, then at Kouyou, “And why are _you_ calling him Kai? His name is Yutaka.”

 

Putting his elbow on the counter and leaning his chin into his cupped hand, Kouyou gave an exasperated sigh, “So many questions… Go on _Yutaka_ ,” he said the name like it was poison in his mouth. “Tell dear Akira what’s going on. How do we know each other?”

 

The young brunette stared up at Akira with his eyebrows drawn together, looking guilty. “He’s, um… He’s my… older brother.” Yutaka twiddled his thumbs nervously as he cast his eyes downwards.

 

Akira’s eyes widened as he looked back and forth between the two. He couldn’t see it. Where Yutaka was small and cute with a bright smile and dimples, almost child-like, Kouyou was tall and lean with pouty lips and an air of flirtatiousness about him, like a vixen. They seemed like polar opposites. But he believed Yutaka, there was no reason for him to lie. Kouyou nodded his head once when Akira looked to him for confirmation. The raven seemed pleased with himself; like he was happy he’d been able to force Yutaka out of his comfort zone. Akira wondered what kind of history the two had, what made the youngest of the pair hate his brother so much. The blond bartender had a feeling he wasn’t being told the whole truth.

 

“Ok…” Akira started, still looking back and forth between the apparent brothers. “So why are you Kai and Uruha, then?” 

 

“Childhood nicknames,” Yutaka answered, probably a little too quickly.

 

“Don’t lie to me Yutaka. You know I can always tell,” Akira studied the way Yutaka shied away. The young brunette had always been a horrible liar, not to mention Akira’s bullshit radar was impeccable. Not much slipped past the blond.

 

Yutaka glanced at Kouyou, as if asking the raven to explain everything. The elder of the brothers smirked and looked at Akira. “Oh, I’m going to enjoy this.”

 

Saying that Akira was beyond confused would be the understatement of the millennium. What could be so bad about explaining the names they called each other by? Was there really that much history behind them?

 

Kouyou looked around like he was checking to see if anyone around them was paying attention. “Not here. Outside.”

 

“But we can’t leave the bar, we’re working!” Yutaka interjected quickly.

 

“It’s alright, Yutaka,” Akira said, placing a hand on the man’s small shoulder. “You stay here and I’ll go. If Daichi comes out just tell him I’ve gone on a bathroom break.”

 

Yutaka looked up at the elder man. “No, wait, Akira you can’t-”

 

“Let’s go,” Akira said as he gave Yutaka’s shoulder a pat and nodded for Kouyou to follow him. He ignored the other bartender’s calls as he led the still smirking raven towards the staff entrance out the back.

 

Exiting into the dimly lit back ally Akira pulled a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket and lit one up, offering one to Kouyou who shook his head in refusal. Leaning back against the wall and taking a long drag, Akira puffed out a little cloud of smoke and analysed the raven.

 

“So,” Akira began. “Start explaining.”

 

Kouyou chuckled, “Straight to the point, huh? I see you’re not one for foreplay.” The tall raven slunk across the ally to where Akira stood, coming to a standstill just in front of the blond. “Such a shame,” he said as he ran his fingertips from Akira’s studded belt, up the front of his shirt, making him shiver at the light touch. “I was really looking forward to having some fun with you.”

 

“Just talk, Kouyou.” He had to resist moaning when the raven trailed his hand back down the right side of Akira’s chest, purposely brushing his fingers over a nipple. The blond dropped his cigarette and it hissed slightly as it hit the damp pavement, going out. “Now, what’s going on with you and Yutaka?”

 

“Hm,” Kouyou hummed as he continued to run his hand up and down Akira’s chest. “That’s not his name; just as mine is not Kouyou.”

 

Akira gritted his teeth, he wouldn’t give in to this vixen. “Then what _are_ your names?”

 

“He is Kai, and I am Uruha,” he took a step closer and leaned in so that their bodies came into contact, his breath tickling Akira’s ear.

 

“Why would both of you lie about your names, then?” Akira shut his eyes and furrowed his brow, concentrating hard on not giving in to Kouyo- no, Uruha’s little game.

 

“Because we need to fit into human society somehow,” the raven hummed, brushing his lips against the skin of Akira’s neck as he leaned one had against the wall beside the blond’s shoulder.

 

“‘Fit in’? What’re you talking about?” Akira grunted as he felt Uruha’s teeth brush against his skin as the raven nipped at his neck.

 

“Mm… How much do you know about folklore, Akira?” Uruha asked, undoing the button at the collar of Akira’s bartender’s uniform.

 

“Not much,” Akira pressed his back against the wall, hoping he could somehow sink into it. Why was Uruha asking about fairy tales now?

 

“What a shame. But, surely you’ve heard of creatures called kitsunes? Yes? The legendary nine-tailed foxes of mythology.”

 

All Akira could do was nod.

 

“Well, you see, when a kitsune turns one hundred, they can gain the ability to shapeshift into a human form. Kitsunes do not have regular human names, so when they become human they must create their own human identity. If they so choose, that is.” Another one of Akira’s buttons came undone as Uruha spoke into the crook of his neck in a low sensual voice. “But, you know. Kitsunes don’t start out with nine tails. They have to gain them, and the more tail they have the wiser, stronger, faster, _better_ the kitsune is.”

 

“Why are you telling me all this?” Akira groaned as Uruha shifted his body, brushing their crotches together. He was hard, he knew it, and from what he felt Uruha was as well. It was taking all his restraint not to fuck the raven right there; he wanted an explanation more than sex.

 

Uruha chuckled, hot breath hitting Akira’s already heated skin. “Come on, Akira. Don’t tell me you’re that dim… Kai and myself… We’re both kitsunes.”

 

Another button and then another popped open, and Uruha’s hand slipped its way into inside the cotton button-up, brushing lightly against a hard bud. Akira pushed his back harder against the wall in order to stop himself from arching into the touch. “I don’t believe you,” he huffed out.

 

Uruha chuckled, “I knew you wouldn’t.” Slowly he lightly pinched one of Akira’s nipples between his thumb and index finger, relishing in the choked moan he was able to coax out of the blond. “But that’s what we are.”

 

“Prove it,” Akira groaned.

 

“Oh, but I am.” The bartender could hear the smirk in the raven man’s voice. “You just aren’t looking.”

 

“Eh?” Akira realized that his eyes were still shut tightly. Slowly he opened them, taking in the sight before him in total shock. Uruha was still occupied at his neck, sucking lightly on the skin as if nothing at all had changed; but it had. Akira could count seven white tipped black fox tails protruding from where any other human’s tail bone would be. He gasped and put his hands on Uruha’s shoulders, pushing him back. “What the hell? How… I don’t… What?” He stammered.

 

Uruha chuckled and pressed against the blond again. “Surprised? I would be too if I were you.” Pushing his hand back into Akira’s shirt he began to tease the nipple that’d been neglected before. His pouty lips returned to the bartender’s neck, sucking and licking on the sensitive skin.

 

Akira moaned gruffly, clenching his hands into tight fists. “But, how is this even possible?”

 

“Hm… you ask too many questions.” Uruha pulled back and studied Akira’s face for a moment before leaning in and connecting their lips together.  

 

And that’s when Akira lost it. Pulling back with a low growl, he grabbed Uruha’s arms and flipped them around so that the raven was the one pressed against the wall. The taller of the two gasped and chuckled as their positions were switched. Akira pressed hard against the man who’d been sporting seven tails only a few moments before, making sure it was clear how hard he was. He could feel Uruha’s bulging member through those ridiculously tight jeans and he moaned as he pushed his hips forward, grinding his erection against the kitsune’s. Uruha didn’t protest either. Instead, he participated actively, following Akira’s lead as their clothed bulges rubbed together.

 

Uruha moaned lewdly as Akira pressed him further into the wall, and when his head tipped back the bartender took the opportunity to ravage the exposed skin of his neck. Grunts left Akira’s throat as a brought a hand up to caress over the kitsune’s clothed nipple. He was pleasantly surprised when a rather loud moan left Uruha’s swollen lips.

 

Akira dropped his hands and slid them underneath Uruha’s thighs, lifting him up so that his full weight was supported by Akira and the wall. The raven wrapped his legs around the bartender’s waist and rolled his hips forward in an expert manner, bringing forth a low grunt from the other man. Akira stooped his head down and licked one of the hardened nubs under the crimson material. Uruha arched, moaning again as he brought his hands up and tangled his fingers into Akira’s, very styled, spiked hair.

 

“Mm… Oh, fuck,” Uruha breathed as Akira brushed his teeth over the nipple.

 

“Akira?” A faint voice called from the other side of the door.

 

Suddenly, the blond bartender came back to reality and pulled back, setting the raven back on his own two feet. “Shit, shit, shit,” he chanted as he tried to straighten out his dishevelled hair and button up his shirt. He saw Uruha doing the same, but with much less urgency.

 

The back door opened and Yutaka stepped outside, concern evident all over his kind features, “Akira, is everything ok? You were gone for a long time.”

 

“Uh,” he cleared his throat. “I’m fine, Yutaka. Uruha and I were just talking.”

 

Yutaka looked down at his feet and mumbled, “You called him Uruha… So you know.” It was a statement rather than a question.

 

Akira nodded, “I do. But that doesn’t change things between us, ok? You’re still my friend, no matter what.” The blond crossed the ally to stand in front of his friend and put a hand on his shoulder. “Alright, Yutaka?”

 

“Why aren’t you calling me Kai? You called him Uruha,” Yutaka almost whimpered.

 

Akira smiled, “Because, to me, you’ll always be Yutaka.”

 

The young brunette looked up at Akira with bright eyes and a big smile across his face, the one Akira had grown so used to after years of working with the bubbly man. Yutaka threw his arms around his co-worker’s neck and hugged him tight, “Thank you so much Akira!”

 

“Well isn’t that cute?” A bitter voice sounded from beside the embracing pair. They let go of each other and spotted Uruha walking past them. “I really don’t understand why you’re so fond of humans, Kai. They’re not worth the time,” he threw the comment over his shoulder as he walked back into the bar.

 

They both looked after Yutaka’s older brother as he disappeared back inside. Suddenly the smaller bartender turned to his friend and pulled out a little black pouch, sliding it into Akira’s palm. When the blond frowned at Yutaka questioningly the brunette explained, “I took this out of his jacket inside, so it won’t be long before he notices, make sure you listen.” Yutaka took a deep breath. “Kitsunes have this thing called a star ball. It’s a stupid name, I know, I didn’t make it up. But it’s basically our life force. If you have a kitsune’s star ball you basically have control over them, they’ll do anything you want. In there,” – Yutaka pointed to the pouch – “Is my brother’s star ball… Uruha is here to kill me.” Akira opened his mouth to speak but the brunette held up a hand and stopped him, “Be quiet and listen. I need your help. He knows that, even if I have his life force, I couldn’t hurt him even if I wanted to. But _I_ know that, if it came down to the wire, you could do it. But I’m not asking you to hurt him at all, just hang onto that. As long as you have his star ball and forbid him from coming near me, Uruha can’t lay one finger on me. Do you understand?”

 

Akira stared at his friend. He had no reason to not believe Yutaka because he could tell that the brunette was telling the truth. Slowly, Akira nodded his head and slid the pouch into the pocket of his jeans.

 

“You have to keep it with you at all times. Got it?” Yutaka pressed. “If he gets hold of it again, he _will_ kill you, Akira.”

 

“I understand,” Akira said reassuringly. “But, Yutaka?”

 

“Yeah?” His friend looked up at him.

 

“Are you really over a hundred years old?”

 

Yutaka chuckled and hit Akira on the arm lightly. “Yes. Actually, I’m three hundred and eighty-six,” the brunette said as if it was the most natural, normal thing in the world. He laughed loudly as he saw his friends jaw drop.

 

Suddenly a loud crash followed by an angered scream echoed from inside the bar. Yutaka whimpered and skittered behind Akira who tensed, putting his hand on the pouch in his pocket. He wasn’t afraid to die protecting his friend. And, if what Yutaka said was true, Uruha wouldn’t go near them as long as he had the star ball. The back door flung open, hitting the brick wall hard and caused the stone to crack outwards in a spider web kind of effect. Akira gulped; Uruha looked beyond pissed.

 

“Kai, you little shit!” Uruha bellowed, stepping forward into the ally. “Where the hell is my star ball?!”


	2. Chapter 2

Akira stood in front of the quivering brunette with an arm slightly outstretched in a protective manner while the other hand stayed securely over the small black pouch in his pocket. There was no way in hell Akira was going to let Uruha come anywhere near his friend. The blond bartender didn’t know Yutaka and Uruha’s history, nor did he know why Uruha wanted to kill Yutaka. Everything had happened too fast for him to really be able to comprehend anything. The best he could do was to go along with everything and treat the situation seriously. After seeing a man with seven fox tails he thought anything was possible, and Yutaka seemed pretty shaken up by the whole situation, and that was reason enough for Akira.

 

“Move out of the way, Akira,” Uruha growled, not taking his furious, glinting emerald eyes off his cowering younger brother.

 

“No,” Akira shot back in a hard voice, pushing Yutaka further behind him.

 

“Just because I’d let you fuck me doesn’t mean I won’t hesitate to kill you,” the kitsune threatened, venom dripping from his voice. “Now, move out of the way before I _make_ you move.”

 

“I’m not going anywhere, Uruha, and you’re not going to touch me _or_ Yutaka.” Akira stood his ground, ready to react if Uruha decided to attack.

 

The raven haired man seemed to growl in an animalistic way. Akira wouldn’t put it past him though; the guy _was_ a fox after all. Akira’s fingers slipped discreetly into his pocket and loosely fingered the black pouch that was concealed there, ready to pull it out if the need arose.

 

“And what makes you think I’m going to listen to _you_?” Uruha spat, a look of utter disgust twisted his usually flawless face. “You’re just a filthy human. You have no power over me.”

 

The fox’s insults didn’t bother Akira at all. It was just like water off a duck’s back for him; he’d received insults far worse than those. The blond bartender smirked, “Oh, but I _do_ …”

 

The raven rolled his emerald green eyes, “You couldn’t possibly-” Suddenly his eyes widened at he put two and two together. It finally made sense, the puzzle pieces finally fit together. “You!” He shrieked. “Give me back my star ball, or so help me I’ll-”

 

“You’ll what?” Akira interrupted. “You can’t do anything as long as I have this.” He pulled out the little black pouch and dangled it tauntingly as he smirked at the fuming fox. “I forbid you to touch Yutaka. You’re not to go anywhere near him. Understood?”

 

Uruha’s nose scrunched as he growled. In the blink of an eye he leapt forward, aiming to tackle Akira to the ground and retrieve his beloved star ball. But just as he was about to snatch the pouch away from the bartender, a pain like no other suddenly radiated through his chest. It was like fire spreading through every single vein, burning him up from the inside out. A bloodcurdling screech left his lips as he clawed at his chest, his long, sharp fingernails tearing open the flimsy crimson material, somehow thinking that would relieve the burning. It was the most intense pain he’d ever felt in his life and he coughed and sputtered as he collapsed on the ground into a writhing mess.

 

“Uruha!” Yutaka called out from behind Akira who looked to be quite stunned. Had this been his fault? Was it because had the star ball? Even though he was protecting his friend he still felt bad about causing someone such intense pain. He had never been the kind of person to intentionally go out of his way to harm someone. It just wasn’t in his nature to be so cruel.

 

The smallest of the three dashed out from behind Akira and dropped to his knees next to Uruha, hesitantly reaching out a trembling hand to the quivering man on the ground. Uruha had curled himself into a ball and every so often a little whimper would shake itself free from his body. All of a sudden, the raven haired man looked so small and fragile, like a broken doll.

 

“Uruha, brother, look at me,” Yutaka pleaded as he gingerly placed his hand on the older fox’s forearm. “Uruha, _please_. Are you alright?”

 

“G-get the he-hell away fro-om me,” Uruha managed to stutter out as he jerked his arm away from his younger brother.

 

Yutaka’s face fell as he slowly withdrew his hand from Uruha’s arm. He wished to do nothing more than help his brother. Even though the older kitsune had come to kill the young brunette, he still felt no need to act cruel towards his sibling. Yutaka didn’t have a mean bone in his body and he never wished for any harm to come to his brother, no matter what the elder did to him. He’d only given Akira his brother’s star ball out of pure desperation. He knew that Uruha was quite capable of killing him at any moment. So when the opportunity had arisen he took it, stealing the star ball and handing it over to his most trusted friend. It was the only thing he could think to do in that situation. There was no way he’d be able to take on the older kitsune. Uruha had more tails than him and so that meant Yutaka would be no match for the elder in battle. Yutaka also knew that he could never use Uruha’s star ball against him. So the next best option had been to give it to Akira, because he knew that the blond bartender was a faithful friend and he wouldn’t let any harm come to the younger.

 

Akira seemed to snap out of his shocked state and he moved to crouch down next to Yutaka, placing a large hand on the smaller man’s shoulder. “Is he alright?”

 

“… I think he will be,” Yutaka answered hesitantly as he watched his brother with a frown etched into his brow and worry clouding his usually happy eyes.

 

Akira watched intently and he was astonished to notice that Uruha’s porceline skin had begun to glow ever so slightly. As he continued to keep his eyes glued to the raven haired man he sat that hair was rapidly sprouting all over Uruha’s body and he seemed to be… shrinking? The glowing grew brighter and the shrinking sped up. Uruha’s features began to morph; his nose elongating, head changing shape, human ears shrinking to be replaced by large pointed ones. After the transformation had finished all that was left of the once beautiful man on the floor was a creature hidden under a pile of the clothes Uruha had been wearing.

 

“Yutaka, what happened?” Akira asked, not daring to take his eyes of the thing on the ground.

 

“The pain must have been too much. That or he’s totally exhausted. Maybe even both,” Yutaka spoke tenderly as he gazed down at his brother. “Whenever we’re under any extreme kind of mental or physical pressure, pain or when we’re incredibly exhausted we revert back into our original form.”

 

“Is he going to be ok?” He inquired.

 

“He’ll be just fine. He just needs to rest for a few days,” Yutaka nodded and smiled fondly at his brother.

 

Slowly the brunette leaned forward and gently pulled the clothes away to reveal a fox asleep on the ground. It had to be the most beautiful creature Akira had ever seen. Its body was pure black, the tips of its large pointed ears were white as was its muzzle. The only familiar part of the animal was the seven white tipped tails that were where only one tail should have been. The creature’s breathing was even and deep, a clear sign that it was fast asleep. Akira couldn’t help but smile down at the fox; it was such a gorgeous animal.

 

“Akira,” Yutaka gained the blond’s attention again as he looked up from his brother to his friend who returned his gaze. “You’re going to have to take him with you. I can’t have him around me. He might try something again. Besides, a kitsune should always be with its star ball.”

 

Akira nodded, understanding. Even if Yutaka had wanted to take Uruha home with him Akira wouldn’t have let him. There was no way the blond bartender was going to risk his friend getting hurt. He had already decided that he was going to take Uruha home with him no matter what Yutaka said.

 

“I know, Yutaka,” the blond smiled.

 

“I’m sorry to dump all of this on you, Akira,” Yutaka looked troubled. He frowned and looked down at his hands which were balled in his lap. “It’s just… You’re the only person I can trust with this kind of responsibility. I don’t have any other friends I could have possibly told.”

 

The elder man leaned forward and put his hand on his friend’s small shoulder. “Really, Yutaka, its fine. I’m more than happy to help you. I can’t have you dying. Who would help me out at the bar and keep me entertained?”

 

Yutaka’s chocolate eyes lit up as he stared up at Akira. “Thank you so much, Akira,” the little brunette leaned forward and slipped his thin arms around the blond’s waist, hugging him tightly.  “Really, thank you.”

 

Akira smiled and chuckled quietly as he rested his own arms around Yutaka’s shoulders. “It’s alright. You know you can trust me, Yutaka. I would never let anything happen to you, I swear.”

 

“Akira,” Yutaka pulled away from the bartender and reached up behind his head to unfasten a chain from around his neck. Pulling the part that’d been hidden by his shirt out, Akira saw that in the place where a pendant would usually be there was a small ball that was held in by a silver casing. Through the gaps in the casing he could see that the ball, just smaller than a marble, glowed the most beautiful shade of sky blue and it seemed to shimmer in the dim light. Yutaka pressed the top of the silver casing where it connected with the chain and it clicked open, releasing the ball within it. “This is my own star ball,” Yutaka stared fondly at the glittering object. “Give me the pouch.” He held out his hand and gestured for his friend to pass over the small black pouch. Akira complied and watched as Yutaka slipped out a ball that was the same size has the sky blue one but this new one glowed a deep mesmerizing purple. The brunette slipped the purple ball into the silver casing and closed it again before dropping his own into the black pouch which he put in his pocket. Yutaka slipped the necklace into Akira’s limp hand and smiled, “I want you to wear this necklace so that, even when your guard is down, there is no way Uruha can take back his star ball. Ok? You must _never_ take it off. Do you understand me?”

 

Akira stared at his friend, astonished. When he felt Yutaka squeeze the hand that held the necklace the blond was snapped out of his trance. “Uh, y-yes. I understand, Yutaka. I won’t take it off. I promise.” He took a proper hold of the silver chain and reached his hand up so he could fasten the piece of jewellery around his neck. He admired the glowing ball; it almost looked as if purple glittering smoke was swirling around inside a glass case. Like a crystal ball.

 

Yutaka just smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Akira.”

 

***

 

Akira tried to look as inconspicuous as he could as he carried a sleeping fox with seven tails to his car which was parked out on the street just in front of the Blue Lagoon. Luckily it was approaching five in the morning and the only people out of the street were those who were drunkenly stumbling home after a big night out. The blond bartender himself was starting to feel sluggish, his lids beginning to droop slightly; thankfully he was only about a ten minute drive from work.

 

With Uruha safely loaded into the back seat of his car, Akira slid into the driver’s seat and started up the engine, revving it a few times to warm it up before he pulled away from the curb to start the short journey home. Every now and then he’d glance into the rear view mirror to catch a glimpse of the creature in the back. The animal’s face was completely peaceful, not a single trace of the hostility that’d been seen in its human form was there. Its breathing was clam and deep, body much like rag dolls. It was hard for Akira to believe that the beautiful creature in the back seat was even capable of killing anyone.

 

It proved to be slightly tricky to remove the sleeping kitsune from the back seat of the car, but Akira managed to do so without jostling Uruha too much. Being so early in the morning, no one was awake to see the blond bartender carrying a seven tailed fox into the apartment building. That surely would have been a sight to see had it been the middle of the day.

 

Nudging the door of the small one bedroom apartment shut, Akira found that there was no need to switch on any lights as the sun was beginning to rise, illuminating the lounge room in a soft orange glow. At the end of a short hallway, Akira found himself in his bedroom. It wasn’t anything impressive; few accessories befitted the room, Akira saw no use in possessing a lot of useless things and preferred to stick to the basics. On the ground was a twin size futon with a lamp on the floor beside it. A single dresser with three draws contained all of Akira’s clothes and, besides a few picture frames next to the futon, those were the only possessions Akira had in his room.

 

Placing the kitsune down on his futon and slipping a single pillow under its head, the blond stood up and gazed down at it. Uruha continued to sleep peacefully. The poor guy must have been really exhausted; Akira couldn’t help but feel bad. But there was little he could do except let Uruha rest and get better, and then he’d have to deal with the fury of the elder kitsune brother. Until then, he’d just have to wait.

 

After he’d made sure the sleeping kitsune was comfortable Akira had quickly used the bathroom to change into a pair of loose fitting pyjama pants and returned to his living room with the spare single futon he had. He quickly set it up on the floor and crawled underneath the blanket. As he lay staring up at the ceiling his hand drifted up to lightly finger the silver chain around his neck and the purple ball attached to it. Its beautiful indigo glow could be seen even better in the dim morning haze; the lack of any bright light making the ball seem to glow even brighter. The purple inside what looked like a thin glass casing swirled and glittered. It was a truly enchanting sight and Akira wondered how something that was so fragile and beautiful could belong to such a dangerous creature.

 

As the clock on the wall of the small lounge room hit 6am the blond bartender finally felt himself drifting off to sleep. Slowly but surely, unconsciousness took over his recently cluttered brain and he found himself falling into the darkness of a well-earned slumber.

 

*** 

 

It was already well into the new day when Akira awoke, the sun glared at him through the windows, providing him with a rather rude awakening. He guessed it was probably somewhere around midday. As he yawned and sat up, glancing around, he noticed he was in the lounge room. ‘ _Lounge room…. What the hell am I doing here?_ ’ And then it came back to him. The previous night with Yutaka and Uruha… so that _hadn’t_ been a dream. Yutaka really _was_ a kitsune and Uruha really _was_ his elder brother. Reaching up, Akira lightly brushed his fingers against the silver chain around his neck, feeling the small ball that hung from it. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that it was still there.

 

Standing up, the blond quickly packed away the guest futon he’d slept on. There was no sign that Uruha had left his bedroom and he wondered if the raven had changed back into his human form. Yutaka had said he’d need to rest for a couple of days, but did that mean he’d be in his kitsune form for the whole time? The blond certainly hoped he wouldn’t have to deal with a grumpy fox for three or so days. But he didn’t much fancy a grumpy human either.

 

To ease his curiosity Akira busied himself in the kitchen making a cup of tea and frying a couple of eggs over the small portable gas stove he had. After finishing his food, Akira quickly did what little dishes were produced and left them to dry. Stepping out onto the tiny balcony that came off his apartment, the bartender sat cross-legged on one of the two chairs, cradling a new cup of tea in the palms of his hands. He stared down into the steaming liquid as if it would have the answers to all of his questions.

 

How had his life been turned upside down within the space of a few hours? Now he knew that the supernatural was far more real than anyone had ever imagined it to be. He’d seen a man transform into a seven-tailed fox right before his eyes. If he didn’t have Yutaka to assure him that it was all true, Akira would’ve felt he was going crazy. For what seemed like the thousandth time, the blond bartender reached up and played with Uruha’s star ball. The glowing purple ball looked slightly less vibrant in the bright light of the day, but it was beautiful all the same.

 

Beautiful just like Uruha. The raven haired man had been so incredibly enticing. At first he’d seemed just like Akira’s type, delicate, a little playful, devious. The blond had always liked the pretty ones, the ones who liked to play a little bit dirty. But he hadn’t expected Uruha to be so… so… He didn’t even have a word for it. Even though he’d only known Yutaka’s brother for a night he knew that Uruha wasn’t like anyone else. All that could be said was that he was just… Uruha.

 

The blond couldn’t help but smile as he remembered Uruha’s touch, delicate fingertips tracing over his chest. He could still feel the way Uruha’s soft pouty lips felt against his, they seemed to fit so perfectly together, caressing and nipping teasingly. Having the raven pinned up against the wall seemed to make Akira’s heart thump and he felt the strong urge to fuck Uruha right then and there. The kitsune was enchanting, so incredibly beautiful. But then Akira remembered that Uruha had come to _kill_ Yutaka. Uruha wanted to kill his best friend. Take such an adorable, bubbly kid out of the world and Akira couldn’t let that happen. So, as attractive as Uruha was to him he still held resentment for the raven.

 

“Hey.”

 

Uruha’s deep voice made Akira almost jump out of his skin. He let out a yell, almost spilling his tea into his lap. “Holy fuck!” Akira whipped his head around to face the raven. What he was greeted with was an Uruha who was only covered by the white sheet from his futon. The kitsune’s bare chest was on full display for the blond. His shoulders formed sharp angles and the flat plane of his abdomen looked perfectly smooth and kissable. Akira scanned over his chest, devouring every part of it with his eyes. From the way Uruha’s defined collarbones pushed up against his milky skin, down to pink, pert nipples, over lightly muscled abs and to the lovely prominent ‘V’ that rose above the white sheet. The raven had unbelievably pale, beautiful skin. It looked soft and touchable, like it would feel like velvet under Akira’s fingertips.

 

Uruha held the white sheet at one of his thin, slightly jutting hips and reached up to yawn into his hand. That shoulder length, midnight coloured hair of Uruha’s was tousled and stuck out at odd angles. Looking at him in the plain light of day, with his hair all messed up and only the light remains of the previous night’s makeup, Akira thought that he looked almost… cute.

 

“Morning, sunshine,” Akira said once he’d recovered from his fright. The blond hadn’t even heard him get up; usually the odd floorboard or two creaked when someone was moving around. ‘ _He really is just like a fox_ ,’ Akira thought. “Sleep well?”

 

“Shut up,” Uruha huffed as he ruffled his already messy hair. “Don’t act like we’re friends. The only reason I’m still here is because _you_ have my star ball and I want it back.”

 

Akira sighed as he leaned down and carefully put his cup of tea on the ground next to the leg of his chair so he could twist in his seat to face the half-naked kitsune. “Look, Uruha. I have to look after Yutaka, which means that I’m _not_ giving you back your star ball. There is no way in hell I’ll ever let you lay a finger on my best friend. Alright? And, as far as I understand, anything I say goes because _I_ have _this_ ,” Akira reached up and tugged at the chain the purple ball was attached to. Uruha’s eyes widened slightly, flashing angrily as the muscles in his jaw tensed.

 

“Why, you fucking arsehole,” Uruha growled dangerously. “What right do _you_ , an outsider who knows nothing, have to interfere with issues that involve me and my brother? This is between Kai and myself. It has nothing to do with _you_.”

 

“That’s where you’re incorrect,” Akira said matter-of-factly. “It became my problem when _you_ decided to come into _my_ bar and threaten _my_ friend. Even more so when Yutaka came to me for help. Look, I don’t know what happened between you and Yutaka and I don’t expect you to tell me either. But I can’t let you… _kill_ him. That just doesn’t seem fair.”

 

Uruha’s well-trimmed brows rose, a sudden aura of calm taking over his presence, “You’re exactly right. You have no idea what happened between Kai and me, so how do you know what’s fair and what isn’t? _You_ don’t know what’s gone on between us. You’re just an outsider. A human could never, _ever_ understand.” One would have expected Uruha to be mad while he spoke, but the raven’s voice sounded nothing but calm. It sent an almost chilling sensation down Akira’s spine. Uruha should be mad and he seemed to be just that a second ago, so why didn’t he sound it now?

 

Akira frowned, not because he was getting angry but because he was confused as to why Uruha seemed to be irritated but suddenly wasn’t showing it on his face. Guessing it was just the raven’s character, calm and collected, the blond sighed and pressed on with the subject. “Well, regardless, I’m involved now. And,” he slapped his knees and put his bare feet flat on the cold concrete to stand up. Coming almost face to face with Uruha, who was slightly taller than him, Akira gave him a kind smile, “As long as you’re under _my_ roof, regardless of the reason, you are my guest and I will treat you as a friend. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Akira slipped passed the raven and back into his small apartment.

 

Returning to the tiny kitchen, Akira put his used cup into the sink and thoroughly rinsed it out before placing it on the drying rack. Letting out a sigh the blond turned around swiftly and almost collided with the still half naked raven that had, rather silently, followed behind him. Akira stood for a second,  staring at the slender frame in front of him before inclining his head ever to slightly to look at that slightly taller man. It felt as though Uruha could see straight through him, read his thoughts and know that all Akira _really_ wanted to do at that moment in time was strip the loosely hung sheet away and fuck the raven into his futon. Akira blushed slightly at the thought. Where had that come from? Kitsunes couldn’t read minds… could they?

 

“Why don’t you take a picture…?” Uruha’s smooth voice suddenly derailed his train of thought. “… It’ll last longer.”

 

The bartender blinked a couple of times, setting the off-course train back on the right track. The track that lead away from vulgar thoughts of a naked, writhing Uruha- _shit._ Akira cleared his throat and pushed past the raven. “You can help yourself to anything in the fridge!” He called as he entered the cramped lounge room and plopped down on the double-seater couch and tucking his legs of underneath him. “What’s mine is yours.”

 

Uruha, who had followed Akira once again, came to stand just next to the couch, observing the blond as he moved through the simple task of taking a thick book off the cluttered coffee table and flicking it open to where a tasselled bookmark was to continue reading. He looked totally serene. Frown lines that had clearly been evident the night before at the bar when Uruha had been demanding and forceful were completely gone; replaced by total calm. It was an interesting observation to make. Who was this human? Why was he so willing to let a potentially dangerous creature into him home? He was either very confident in his self-defence abilities or totally and utterly crazy. Uruha wasn’t quite sure which one it was yet.

 

“Akira,” Uruha said, making the blond jump and fumble to keep his heavy-looking book in his grasp. It was amusing to the kitsune how easily frightened the other man was. The jumpiness made him smirk slightly; he could certainly use that to his advantage and play some pretty interesting tricks on the blond.

 

“Would you stop doing that?” Akira snapped, the small frown lines suddenly appearing again, and whipped his head around to look at the raven. “And would you put a fucking shirt on? Seriously…” He trailed off.

 

“Why?” The raven smirked. “Am I distracting?” He consciously let the hand holding the sheet loosen a bit in order to make the white material drop just a smidge lower on his hips. He knew he was attractive. He’d bedded many men and women in his time, and all of them complimented him on his superb appearance and skills in the bedroom. As far as he knew he had no match. Uruha smirked deviously as he watched the blond squirm in his seat a little. Clearly he was no good at hiding his emotions.

 

“Yes,” Akira stated openly, staring wide-eyed at the carpet underneath Uruha’s bare feet; clearly trying not to look at the enticing picture. “You are _very_ distracting and I would greatly appreciate it if you would please cover yourself up a bit better.”

 

Uruha let slip a deep chuckle. Was this guy for real? Being so polite and everything; it was something the raven wasn’t used to. “Oh? So… for instance, you wouldn’t want me to do _this_?”

 

When Akira glanced up he really wished he hadn’t. Uruha was smirking down at him, doing the exact opposite of what he’d been asked to do. The sheet had dropped and inch or two, now hanging dangerously low on Uruha’s defined hips, a tiny amount of pubic hair just visible above the white material. The sight was beyond tempting and Akira felt a slight heat start to radiate below the waistline of his loose black pants. _No, no way_. Akira tried willing his impending erection away with sheer will power; but all the will power in the world could not ward off the obviously enticing sight of the raven man in front of him.

 

Suddenly, Akira shot up out of his seat and mumbled a quick ‘I’m going to take a shower’ in his slightly flustered state before he scurried off down the short hallways and into the only other room besides his bedroom. ‘ _That was way too close_ ,’ Akira thought as he slammed the door shut behind himself and pushed his back against it. How in the world was he going to stand living with someone who so obviously _loved_ to be a horrible tease?

 

Uruha watched the bathroom door slam shut and smirked to himself thinking that maybe the whole setup Yutaka had given him would be more fun than he’d originally anticipated. Maybe, just maybe, disposal of that annoying little thing who was apparently his brother could wait for a little while... He wanted to have some fun with his new play thing first. Besides, that annoying little brat seemed to be quite attached to the blond; maybe the best defence Yutaka had chosen could be Uruha’s greatest offence.


	3. Chapter 3

People bustled around Akira, bumping into him as they rushed to their destinations unknown to the blond bartender as he strolled along at a rather leisurely pace. Tokyo always seemed to be an overly crowded, busy place. The main streets of the city were constantly packed with people; even late into the night people scurried around like ants. Especially in the suburb of Shinjuku, where every night was Friday night and bars, host and hostess clubs stayed open all night every night. During the day the suburb was a little calmer, as calm as Tokyo could be. Akira had left his apartment at around ten in the morning and locked the door behind himself, shutting his guest inside. He had exited his apartment building and began the short walk to the quaint little café he often found himself situated at when he had a minute to spare.

 

He wasn’t in any rush and stopped in front of a few shop windows to browse the items, wishing he had enough money to purchase a particularly appealing sound system. Akira had found that, even after one day, he couldn’t stay in the house with Uruha. If it weren’t already bad enough the previous day when the kitsune had tempted Akira with his that low-hanging sheet, forcing the blond to need to jerk himself off in the shower, just that morning Uruha had emerged from the steaming bathroom naked as the day he was born. Akira had yelped and covered his eyes in an effort to shield himself from the nakedness that was Uruha. Luckily, the cheeky raven had only chuckled and let himself into the blond’s bedroom to steal a pair of sweatpants from his drawers. And so that was it. Akira couldn’t be there any longer or he’d end up suffering a haemorrhage or something.  

 

The little café was just off the main road, down a little ally that no one ever really bothered to venture along. The bell above the door chimed as Akira pushed it open and entered the quiet, almost abandoned, café. It was small, but had a homey feel about it. Walls were painted a warm brown colour with a few abstract paintings scattered across them and dark leather couches tucked into booths lined the walls. Quiet alternative rock played in the background and the entire place smelled of freshly brewed coffee. Apart from an elderly man in one of the corner booths pouring over a large newspaper, Akira was the only customer there.

 

Approaching the counter, he took his usual spot at one of the stools. Suddenly a pink topped head popped up from behind the counter, coloured hair sticking out in all directions. The owner of the café grinned at his most frequent customer and greeted him cheerily, “Akira! Long-time no see, man.”

 

“It’s only been three days, Yuu. Did you really miss me that much?” Akira flashed the eccentric barista a cheeky grin.

 

Yuu put his nimble, coffee-stained hand over the left side of his chest and sighed dramatically as he brought the back of his other hand up to his forehead, pretending he was going to faint, “Oh I missed you so much, my love. And now you’ve finally returned to me on this most joyous morning after leaving me to my own devices for so long. Oh, how I was devastated. I never thought I could dislike you so intensely after you left. Now, let us rejoice and have mountains of hate-sex.”

 

Akira snorted rather unattractively at the fuchsia-haired man’s antics; Yuu had always been a bit out there. They’d met one night four years ago when Yuu had come to The Blue Lagoon in low spirits having just been dumped by his boyfriend of six years, Kazuki. Of course, Yuu had been on the rebound and focused his attention on Akira. However, instead of sleeping with the elder, Akira had insisted they meet up the next day when Yuu was thinking clearer and wouldn’t do something he’d regret later. Agreeing, the fuchsia-haired man had provided Akira with the address of his coffee shop and told the bartender to meet him there at 10am sharp. They’d spent the entire day just talking and getting to know each other; both had found that they had a lot in common and from that moment onwards they’d been great friends. As far as Akira knew Yuu had always fancied him and made absolutely no effort to hide it, though they’d never actually slept together. Yuu never gave up though; at first it’d felt a bit odd to have someone admire him so openly, but over time he got used to it. Yuu never tried to pressure him, the elder wasn’t the type to constantly ask Akira out on dates, nor hang around him like some kind of lost puppy; he just simply made sure that the blond bartender knew exactly how he felt. “Alright, alright” Akira laughed, “I get it, you missed me. But I’m back now, so never fear my pink princess.”

 

“Ok, don’t push it, blondie,” Yuu warned when Akira gave him the title ‘princess’. The elder man didn’t often appreciate being referred to in a feminine manner even though he was clearly a bottom. “But seriously, dude. If it weren’t for you I’m pretty sure I would’ve gone bankrupt years ago. You’re my most frequent customer.”

 

“And your favourite,” Akira finished the sentence he knew was already in Yuu’s head. The fuchsia-haired man chuckled and nodded his head, pink strands falling into his line of vision. “Well, if you hadn’t picked such an out of the way place maybe people would come down here,” the blond pointed out.

 

“Yeah…” Yuu heaved an exasperated sigh, “But you know, I didn’t want to be the next Starbucks or anything like that. Surely if I’d picked a spot on a main road this place would be _constantly_ bustling with people, my coffee would be the best in Tokyo.”

 

Yuu was also quite full of himself, but not in a bad way, really. He enjoyed thinking highly of himself, but never really put much seriousness into the praise he gave himself. He was the straightforward type, no shame, and Akira supposed that’s what he liked about the barista so much. Yuu was very much unlike himself. Where he would never tell someone he disliked them and would always agree and go along with what other people wanted, Yuu would tell someone outright if he didn’t like them and had no problem in voicing his opinion on any subject. He always told Akira he was way too nice. But Akira knew he could get mean if he needed to, that’s what he’d done the night at the bar with Uruha and Yutaka, hadn’t he? He would never let anyone harm his friends and if he had to switch into dick mode to make that happen, then he would do that.

 

Chuckling, Akira shook his head, “Yeah? Well how about you make up one of those coffees for me right now? It’s rude to keep a customer waiting.”

 

Yuu resisted answering back and simply rolled his eyes. He needn’t ask what Akira would want to drink; the blond knew he’d memorized the coffee order long ago. Pouring a shot of coffee into a mug and adding a small amount of caramel, the talented barista multitasked by beginning to steam the milk at the same time while continuing his conversation with Akira. “So, tell me what’s new with you, Aki-chan?”

 

“Don’t call me that,” Akira shot a piercing glare Yuu’s way, the fuchsia-haired man laughing it off. The blond shrugged, contemplating whether or not he should tell Yuu anything about the mythical creature who was currently residing in his apartment. No doubt the barista would just laugh and tell Akira what a funny joke that was. So, instead of revealing the whole truth he chose to omit a few details. “Well, you know Yutaka, the guy I work with?”  

 

“I think so,” Yuu thought for a moment. The fuchsia-haired man had never actually met the brunette, but Akira had mentioned him on more than one occasion. “The young guy you work with?”

 

“Yeah, him,” Akira confirmed. “Well, about two nights ago a customer came in and it turned out to be Yutaka’s brother. From what I can gather it seems like the two of them have had a pretty rough past and next thing I know this kid’s brother is staying at my place.”

 

Yuu turned back from the coffee machine with Akira’s steaming caramel latte in his hand as well as a slice of carrot cake on a plate, setting the blond’s usual order down in front of him. “What? So, this kid’s bother is staying with you? Why?”

 

“Yeah,” Akira nodded as he picked up his hot beverage and took a sip, the sweet yet bitter liquid warming him up from the inside. “Yutaka asked me if he could stay with me otherwise he’d only cause trouble.”

 

“What? Akira, are you crazy or something? Do you even know anything about this guy?”

 

Suddenly Akira felt like a little kid being reprimanded for doing something wrong; like he’d finger-painted the crisp white walls or something. He felt small under Yuu’s piercing gaze. It was times like this when the protective Yuu came out; sure, he was eccentric and easy-going but when it came to Akira and other guys the blond felt as though Yuu were some overprotective father, much to Akira’s chagrin. He was a grown man, after all and he should be able to make his own decisions. But, he had to admit that Yuu’s concern was rather flattering.  

 

“Well, no…” Akira scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he watched Yuu give him a rather sceptical look. “I don’t know much about it... But this was something Yutaka asked me to do and he’s one of my best friends. Besides, you weren’t there, Yuu. You didn’t see the look on his face,” Akira sighed and slumped down in his chair, shoulders hunching as he picked absentmindedly at his piece of cake. “You didn’t see the look on his face when he saw his brother. Yutaka is the kindest, most gentle person I’ve ever known and the way he looked at his brother with such… rage and _fear_ was scary in itself. I couldn’t have said no when that kid asked me to do this.”

 

Yuu uncrossed his previously folded arms and put a hand on one of his thin, jutted hips as he eyed Akira incredulously. When he realized that Akira wasn’t going to back down from his position the fuchsia-haired man sighed and leaned his elbows on the counter, looking directly into the blond bartender’s steely gaze. “Alright… As long as you’re sure that you’re making the right decision, yeah? I don’t want you getting into any trouble.”

 

Akira nodded, pressing his lips into a thin line. “I’m sure. Yutaka wouldn’t’ have been so shaken up over just anything.” Forking off a piece of the cake Akira popped it in his mouth and hummed happily. “This shit is amazing. Did you just make it this morning?”

 

Yuu grinned proudly, “Yep, just came out of the oven not long ago.” He chuckled at the face Akira was making. “It _must_ be good if you’re making that face. It looks like you just came.”

 

Akira shot a sharp glare the barista’s way and spoke with a mouthful of cake, “You have no idea what my orgasm face looks like, thank you very much.”

 

Yuu chuckled, “Well, I could know if you weren’t such a stick in the mud.”

 

Akira merely rolled his eyes and continued munching happily on his cake, taking the occasional sip from his caramel latte. The pair of them continued to chat, the heavy atmosphere having easily lifted so they could carry on with their friendly banter; of course not without Yuu’s relentless hitting on Akira which the bartender easily brushed off. It wasn’t like he was trying to be rude, he’s just lever fancied the pink-haired barista in that way.

 

Sometime in the early afternoon, after spending hours at Yuu’s, Akira’s phone rang loudly through the café. With one glance at the caller ID he picked it up in a heartbeat.

 

“Yutaka?” Akira spoke into the receiver wondering why the brunette could be calling him; it wasn’t often the younger bartender called him. What if, somehow, Uruha had gone after him and hurt him? What if he’d figured out a way to get to Yutaka even though Akira still had the most important thing to him? “Are you alright? What’s up?”

 

A familiar giggle sounded from the other end of the phone, “There’s no need to sound so worried, Akira. I’m still alive and healthy.”

 

The blond breathed a sigh of relief, feeling his heartbeat calm down a little, “You scared me, kid. I thought maybe Uruha had gotten to you somehow.” Yuu, seeing that Akira was talking to his friend about something that was probably quite private, excused himself to clear away a few empty cups and wipe down tables.

 

“Nah, I’m fine,” Yutaka chirped. “Anyway, I wanted to you know if you’d like to come to my house tonight for dinner? I believe I own you much more of an explanation than I’ve provided you with so far.”

 

Akira smiled, “Sure thing Yutaka. What time?”

 

The young brunette hummed on the other end of the line, “Say… About 7pm?”

 

“Sure thing, I’ll see you later tonight, Yutaka.” With that, the pair of them hung up and, after a quick goodbye aimed at Yuu, Akira strode out the door and back out onto the main, bustling streets of Tokyo.

 

*** 

 

“Where are _you_ going all dressed up? It’s your day off, isn’t it?”

 

Uruha was leaning against the doorframe of Akira’s bedroom watching him button up his black shirt and roll the sleeves up to his elbows. The kitsune hadn’t left Akira alone since he’d got home. The moment the blond had walked through the door the raven fox had insisted on being fed and then entertained, hardly giving Akira a spare moment just for himself. He’d wanted nothing more than to sit on his couch and read his book, then proceed to get ready for his dinner at Yutaka’s house. But the vixen apparently had other ideas. He’d expected the blond to be able to cook him some kind of gourmet meal, however he’d ended up with an omelette and rice which hadn’t made him too impressed at all. Next he’d insisted that Akira play video games with him _all_ afternoon. Akira had finally managed to slip off to the bathroom to get ready when Uruha had excused himself to get a drink.

 

“I’m going to a friend’s house for dinner, if you _must_ know,” Akira answered as he did up the last button on his shirt.

 

“Kai’s?” Uruha asked flatly, an ounce of annoyance creeping into his velvet baritone voice as he put a slim hand on a jutting hip.

 

_How the hell had Uruha made that connection?_

 

Akira sighed exasperatedly as he pulled on his worn leather jacket, “Yes, I’m going to Yutaka’s. But what does it matter to you?”

 

“It doesn’t,” the raven shrugged. “I just want to know what _I’ll_ be having for dinner.” Uruha leisurely strolled over to the blond’s futon, plopping himself down and spreading out with his arms crossed behind his head. It was surprising to Akira how quickly the kitsune had settled in. Clearly the devious fox lacked any kind of manners and took far too much for granted.

 

“There’s food in the fridge, I’m sure you’re capable of fixing something up for yourself,” the blond stated as he assessed himself in the full length mirror nailed to the back of his bedroom door. Smiling a little in approval he gave his flat hair a few combs through with his fingers before stepping back.

 

Uruha hummed and stood up, his exotic green eyes showed that he also clearly approved of Akira’s appearance. Sauntering up behind the blond the kitsune traced his long, graceful fingers over the bartender’s upper thigh, dangerously close to his arse. Akira flinched a little but didn’t exactly pull away from the touch; he’d be lying if he said he didn’t want to fuck Uruha. The raven came to a standstill just behind Akira and ran his hand up the bartender’s leather-clad sides until they reached his shoulder blades and then let them wander back down to rest on a pair of lean, but surely very powerful, hips. Inhaling deeply the kitsune hummed again, a noise that sounded something akin to an animalistic purr. Leaning down slightly, Uruha placed his pouty lips on the nape of Akira’s neck, letting the blond feel his tongue as it flicked out and brushed against the surface of his skin.

 

Suppressing a moan as Uruha continued to nibble and suck on his neck Akira tipped his head to the side, “Uruha…” he breathed, “What are you doing? I have to go.”

 

“ _Mmmm_ …” the raven purred against his neck, “But you don’t want to go now, do you?”

 

The deep rumbling that was Uruha’s voice and the feel of those nimble hands stroking lazy circles on his hips sent a wave of pleasure straight to Akira’s slowly awakening cock. He feared that if he didn’t stop soon he’d have a full blown erection to deal with, yet he couldn’t seem to find the will to push the raven vixen away.

 

That same rumbling purr came from Uruha’s chest as the raven gave Akira’s neck a particularly hard nibble that was probably closer to a bite and pushed his groin against the blond’s hip, the hardening flesh underneath the pair of borrowed sweat pants letting him know that the kitsune was close to being in the same state as he was.

 

“Come on, Akira,” Uruha breathed against the blond’s neck as he slowly moved his fingers towards the front of Akira’s tight black jeans. “You know you want it. This tells me that you do,” as he spoke his hand slipped over the now prominent bulge in the front of Akira’s pants and gave a small squeeze.

 

Not expecting the contact so quickly Akira gasped and couldn’t help but push his hips forward into the raven’s hand. “I- We can’t,” his voice was but a mere breathy moan.

 

In the blink of an eye Uruha had turned Akira around and slammed his back against the mirror, successfully pinning the blond down with his own body. The raven locked his sinful lips with Akira’s whose barriers soon fell when Uruha pushed his slick tongue between the blond’s lips, thoroughly exploring every crevasse of the hot cavern. Groaning, Akira lifted his hands and tangled them in Uruha’s raven locked, quickly taking control of the kiss and dominating the raven’s mouth. He switched their positions so that now Uruha’s back was pressed against the mirror; neither of them ever breaking the contact between their lips.

 

“Uru… ha,” Akira spoke breathlessly between heated kissed. “We need… to… _mhmm_ … stop…”

 

“No we don’t. Screw Kai.” The raven broke the kiss to quickly latch his mouth onto Akira’s neck, nibbling and sucking and causing the blond to tip his head back in order to allow Uruha better access. In a flurry of movements, Akira was back against the mirror with Uruha biting and kissing and licking his way down until he was kneeling on the floor with his face direction in front of the blond’s belt buckle. Clearly Uruha didn’t plan on taking things slow and Akira wondered if it was because he hadn’t gotten any action in a while; he knew he was always impatient when that was the case.

 

Not wasting any time, Uruha undid the buckle of Akira’s belt and pulled open the button and fly. After he’d managed to get Akira’s pants down to his thighs, Uruha latched his lips onto the bulge that pushed against the fabric of Akira’s underwear and the blond could already feel the raven’s tongue working against his throbbing erection, even through the material.

 

Moaning deep in the back of his throat Akira pushed his hips forward as he let his head drop back against the mirror. As he opened his eyes and let them stray around the room, trying to find something to focus on apart from the pleasure situated in his lower regions, they landed on the digital clock sitting next to his messy futon. The blinking red numbers glinted at him in the dully lit room, informing him that he was already late for his dinner arrangements with Yutaka.

 

Coming back into his right mind, he put his hands on Uruha’s shoulders he gave a rather hard push, grunting in effort as he moved the raven away from him. “Uruha, stop. I need to go, I’m already late.”

 

The raven glowered up at him, “ _What_? Are you really going to turn down a blowjob just to go and see that little scum?”

 

This hurtful comment spiked the blond’s anger. Quickly he wrenched up his pants, did them up, re-buckled his belt so he could lean over and grab hold of the borrowed sweater the kitsune wore. The raven didn’t even flinch when Akira jerked him forward quite roughly. “Listen here, _Uruha._ I may want to fuck you, but you don’t take priority over my friends. Don’t ever let me hear you talk about Yutaka like that ever again!” He growled dangerously.

 

All the raven did in reply was lean forward and give Akira’s lips a little lick with his tip of his tongue before grinning deviously. Shoving the kitsune away the blond snatched his phone, wallet and car keys off his dresser and stormed out.

 

***

 

By the time Akira reached Yutaka’s apartment he was already running half an hour late, but luckily his erection had died down. That damn fox, why did he have to get intimate at the most inappropriate time? It’d only been two days, for Christ’s sake; couldn’t he give it a rest? He was almost tempted to move out of his own home and in with Yutaka so he wouldn’t have to deal with Uruha’s antics. But that would defeat the whole purpose of what he was trying to do, wouldn’t it? Akira was trying to keep Uruha away from the brunette and if he were to move in with Yutaka his elder brother would only follow, clearly wanting to stick with his precious star ball. With a heavy sigh, Akira exited his car and started the trek up the stairs to Yutaka’s rather small, kind of shabby, apartment.

 

Knocking on the door Akira was greeted with the sight of a slightly dishevelled looking Yutaka, but the worry on the young brunette’s face was quickly washed away and replaced that characteristic grin of his when he saw the blond. “Akira,” he chirped happily, opening the door a bit wider. “You’re finally here. I was starting to worry a little.”

 

Entering into the apartment, Akira toed his heavy black boots off at the door and followed Yutaka further inside. “I’m so sorry I’m late. Uruha was… being difficult.”

 

“Oh… I really hope he’s not too much trouble. I know what he’s like.” A knowing look passed over the young kitsune’s face; clearly he knew what his own brother was like, Akira didn’t need to illustrate that for him. “He’s... demanding. Sorry you’ve got to deal with that.”

 

“Ah, don’t worry about it, Yutaka. I work in a bar, remember? It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

 

Even though Akira had assured him everything was fine Yutaka still had a look of guilt flashing in his eyes. “If you say so…”

 

The pair quickly sat down to a nice hefty meal, provided by the world class chef himself, swapping casual friendly conversation. Afterwards they were situated on Yutaka’s two seater couch, Akira with a cold bottle of beer in his hand and Yutaka with a nice warm cup of peppermint tea. This was the part both of them had been waiting for; the explanation. Akira hadn’t pushed Yutaka to tell him, he knew that the young brunette would tell him when he felt the time was right.

 

Yutaka sat back and tucked his legs up underneath him as he relaxed, pulling the hairband out of his long brown locks, letting the perfectly straight hair fan out over his slim shoulders and frame his face rather nicely. With a sigh and sip of tea the brunette rested the cup in his lap, “Well, I guess it’s time to explain, right?”

 

Akira nodded, though he didn’t want Yutaka to feel like he was trying to pressure him because that wasn’t the case at all. “You don’t have to tell me everything if you don’t want to. I don’t even mind waiting if you aren’t ready to-”

 

“No,” Yutaka cut him off, giving a small shake of his head and a reassuring smile. “No, I promised you answers and that’s what I’m going to give you.” After a few moments of silence he giggled, “I don’t even know where to start… Hmm… Well, Uruha and I used to be really close, back when I was just a pup. Did Uruha tell you about how we get our human forms?”

 

Akira only nodded, remembering how Uruha had explained that once a kitsune turned 100 they could take the form of a human if they chose to.

 

“Well, he’s two hundred years older than me, so he used to look after me when I was little; always making sure I stayed out of trouble. He even taught me how to hunt,” Yutaka smiled at the fond memory. “He was my best friend for the first two hundred years of my life. But… we’re two different kinds of kitsune, you see. I’m a zenko, which means good fox. That’s probably pretty self-explanatory; but that’s why my star ball is blue and white. It kind of means purity; everyone in my family is a zenko, my father, my mother, my grandparents. Everyone. Everyone but Uruha… Uruha is a yako, a field fox. He’s mischievous, even malicious sometimes. Yako’s find other’s misfortune entertaining, but I guess you already figured that out about Uruha…”

 

Again, another nod from Akira, “That certainly explains a lot.”

 

Yutaka gave his own nod in agreement, “That’s why you’ve got to be careful of him. He’s not like me. He can be dangerous, he tends to take his tricks a little too far sometimes.” The brunette took another sip of his tea before continuing. “My parents were devastated when they found out their first born was a yako and for years they shunned him. When I was born Uruha took care of me, hoping that maybe he could get back on their good side by trying to prove that he wasn’t as bad as he seemed; that he could do what any other zenko could do. They slowly started to trust him and father was even considering allowing him the privilege of being clan leader, head of the family. That was until I did something stupid…About a hundred years ago I was out hunting with Uruha, like always when we spotted a farmer out in his rice field. Still being the young adventurous adolescent I was, I asked Uruha if he could teacher me a trick. Nothing too bad, just something provide a little entertainment for us. He said no at first, but I eventually managed to convince him to teach me.”

 

Yutaka paused to stare into his tea before downing the rest of it and placing the empty cup on the coffee table, returning to his former position. “It was only a simple fire spell, only meant to scare the man. But I said it wrong I ended up setting fire to the entire field, killing the man. My parents were mortified that I’d done such a thing, but they didn’t blame me. I was just an ignorant child… They blamed Uruha. They shunned him, cast him out and labelled him as a traitor, someone who would never be part of their family. He was a demon, an impurity, a stain on out family’s name. Of course, he was told to never return and he didn’t. Not until I left the clan and decided to start a life of my own. Uruha came after me time and time again, but I managed to slip out of his grip every time. His grudge never lessened; if anything it grew even stronger over time.

 

“I was the one who turned our parents against him after everything he’d done to gain their trust. It was all my fault and Uruha never, ever forgot that. He’s been out to get revenge on me ever since I tore our parents’ love away from him. I’ve never forgiven myself though,” Yutaka shook his head remorsefully. “I blame myself for everything that’s happened. It’s my fault he’s angry and bitter towards everything. It’s my fault he feels like he can’t trust anyone. I wish I could face him about it,” the brunette shrugged dejectedly. “But he doesn’t want to talk. He only wants to rip me apart.”

 

Akira was astounded by Yutaka’s story. It seemed like some kind of folk legend he’d read about in one of his many mythology books. Somehow, he pitied Uruha, even though he knew the raven wouldn’t want his pity. Akira himself had been in somewhat of a similar position when he was young having been thrown out by his parents when he told them he was gay.

 

“Yutaka,” the blond bartender placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, giving a small squeeze. He smiled when the brunette looked up at him, big doe eyes watering at the edges slightly. “It’s all in the past now. It’s not your problem anymore; if Uruha wants to hold a grudge that’s _his_ problem.”

 

“But…” Yutaka sniffled. “He’s brought you into it now. He didn’t have to do that. He saw how attached I am to you and now I’m afraid he’s going to use you to get to me and I- I don’t want that. Akira, I don’t want him to hurt you… and if he does… if he does I won’t be able to not blame myself.” A lone tear trickled down Yutaka’s cheek. Clearly the whole ordeal had made the young kitsune quite distressed.

 

“Hey,” Akira cooed, leaning forward to wipe away the stray drop of moisture. “I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself, ok? I wouldn’t have gotten involved if I didn’t think I could handle myself.”

 

“But this isn’t just some guy from the bar, Akira,” the younger protested. “This is Uruha, a kitsune. A supernatural creature. He’s a lot stronger than you, I can promise you that.”

 

“But he can’t do anything as long as I have this.” The blond reached just under the neckline of his shirt and pulled out the luminescent purple ball attached to the silver chain. He had made a pretty good guess that the dark colour of Uruha’s star ball meant that he was a yako; an ‘evil’ kitsune.

 

Yutaka smiled and touched the small ball with his fingertips. “Just promise me you’ll be careful, ok? Uruha can be unpredictable. He’s not the kind brother I used to know; he’s become conniving and cynical and unpleasant. He’ll try any method if it means he may have a chance at getting his star ball back.”

 

Akira nodded and brought the young brunette into a tight, comforting hug. “I promise I won’t let him get to me or you.”

 

After Akira had said goodbye to Yutaka he climbed back into his car, reaching up to touch the star ball, mulling over the tale Yutaka had told him. He guessed he somewhat understood why Uruha was the way he was. But that was over a hundred years ago, the dude really needed to sort out his issues. Shaking his head and letting go of the glowing purple ball Akira started up his car and drove back in the direction of his own apartment.

 

Finding that the lights were all off and Uruha had already fallen asleep in his futon _again_ , Akira rolled out the spare futon in his cramped lounge room and settled under the blankets for some well-deserved rest. The last thought that crossed his mind as he was that he would look after Yutaka no matter what. There was no way he’d let any harm come to his friend. Not by Uruha’s hand or anyone else’s hand for that matter.


	4. Chapter 4

Akira stood at the bar; glass in one hand and a cloth in the other, absentmindedly cleaning the glass. As he cleaned he thought; over the past few days, he’d not really made any progress with Uruha. Yutaka had asked him to take a few days off just to make sure that Uruha was ok after his little incident outside the bar that night. Akira had gladly agreed once the young brunet had stated how worried he was about his elder brother’s well-being. Akira didn’t really see why he should, all Uruha wanted to do was kill him, after all. But, whatever floated his boat.

 

After seeing Yutaka and hearing his side of the story Akira had decided that he would try his best to try and pry the raven’s thoughts out of that well-guarded mind but it was proving to be an incredibly difficult feat. The blond had attempted to draw the kitsune into conversations but Uruha was incredibly perceptive and was able to avoid the subject every time and when Akira had tried to directly bring up what Yutaka had told him Uruha had snapped, grabbing him by the collar and flinging him into the edge of the kitchen counter. Akira still had a rather nasty looking bruise on his hip from where his flesh had made contact with the hard surface. Clearly he was going to have to think of a new approach.

 

“Hey, Akira,” The blond was snapped out of his thoughts by a singsong voice and a hand being waved in front of his face. He hadn’t realized he’d slipped off into his own little dreamland again. Man, Uruha really needed to stop occupying so much space in his mind. He already had enough to worry about at work without that raven vixen pushing his way in and setting up residence.

 

“Huh?” He blinked and looked across the bar to see a brilliant smile shining at him from underneath a mop of nearly over-styled pink and black hair. “Oh, hi Yuu,” he greeted with a warm smile of his own. Akira figured his friend must have closed up shop earlier than usual so he would stop by and have a drink. Possibly even ask the bartender out on a date for what seemed like the billionth time; and probably wasn’t far off it.

 

“Are you ok, man? I’ve been chatting to a friend and I watched you clean that glass for almost fifteen minutes straight,” Yuu chuckled and rested his elbows on the counter of the bar, cupping his chin in the palm of his hand as he stared at Akira intently.

 

“Oh, yeah,” Akira turned around with a shrug and put the over-clean glass away before turning back to face Yuu. “I’m fine. The usual?”

 

Yuu nodded, indicating to the blond he’d be having his usual Bloody Mary. The fuchsia-haired man watched the blond work quickly in preparing his drink and thanked him when the glass was placed in front of him. Taking a sip, Yuu leaned in as if he were about to utter something top secret to the blond bartender, “You know, I don’t think you are ok. Why would you stand there staring into space while looking incredibly contemplative if there was nothing wrong?”

 

It was just like Yuu to be able to see right through his façade. Yuu knew when he was lying, just like Yutaka did. But instead of yielding to Yuu’s suddenly serious attitude, Akira glanced at the older man with a smirk, “Look at you, using big boy words like contemplative.”

 

“Shut up,” Yuu quipped, switching over to his adult-mode. “And don’t try to avoid my question by using sarcasm, because it’s not going to work,” Yuu pointed an accusatory finger at the blond bartender. “You should know me better than that.”

 

Akira sighed. Yuu had a point; the elder man had a reputation for being persistent and Akira shouldn’t have been surprised, what with how eagerly Yuu continued to pursue him. With another heavy sigh Akira picked up a new glass and began working on it with the dishcloth, “It’s nothing you can really help with, I don’t think… It’s just about Yutaka’s brother. I’m trying to sort out the beef between them and he’s really not being very co-operative at all. Whenever I try to discretely bring up their past he just avoids it and deters the conversation to something else,” Akira heaved a shrug which was accompanied with a sigh. He continued to ramble without really registering what was coming out of his mouth. “And then when I tried bringing it up with him directly he flung me into the fucking countertop. I-”

 

“He fucking what?!” Yuu jumped up out of his seat looking as if he was ready to murder someone; Uruha most likely. “Where is this kid? I’ll fuck his shit up!”

 

Akira had to chuckle at the prospect of Yuu calling Uruha a kid seeing as Uruha was over five hundred years old. But he thought it’d be best to calm his friend down because a few of the patrons in the bar had begun to glance their way; Yuu was being very loud and insistent. “Calm down, Yuu. I’m fine, really. It’s just a bit of a tender bruise. Nothing serious.”

 

The look on Yuu’s face made it seem like he was about to leap over the bar counter and perform a full body inspection just to make sure Akira hadn’t been harmed in any other way; but was able to restrain himself as he took a seat again and sipped from his drink. “If I ever meet that arsehole, I swear to god I’m going to put my foot so far up his arse he won’t be able to sit for a whole month. Seriously, first he barges into your apartment and sets up camp there, then he throws you around like a fuckin rag doll just because you’re trying to sort out his shit, “Yuu shook his head and Akira could tell that he was really irritated. It wasn’t often that Yuu got really angry, but at that particular point in time he was really pissed. “You really shouldn’t be getting so involved in this guy; I get a funny feeling about him.”

 

Akira couldn’t help but scoff a little, much to Yuu’s obvious displeasure. “How can you get a funny feeling about him? You’ve never even met the dude.”

 

“Yeah, well I don’t need to,” Yuu defended himself with a pout on his full lips, switching modes yet again and becoming something resemblant of a sulking child who’d had their favourite toy taken off them. “Just from what you’ve told me he sounds like an utter arsehat.”

 

Akira chuckled and replied in a sarcastic voice, “Right, I’d really like to see you meet him…” Akira trailed off at the thought of Yuu actually meeting Uruha. How would that even go down? Yuu already seemed to have a strong dislike for the kitsune. But why wouldn’t he when the blond had mentioned that Uruha had _thrown_ him into a counter.

 

Akira and Yuu continued chatting, passing casual banter between them. But Akira couldn’t help but let his mind wander back to the raven haired vixen residing in his apartment. What was Uruha doing? There wasn’t a wide variety of things to do in his apartment, so how would the fox be keeping himself occupied? Hopefully not totally trashing his apartment in out of spite because Akita had his star ball. As he thought about that possibility he decided it was very un-Uruha-like; he assumed that if the fox wanted to piss him off he’s come up with a better idea than just making a mess of his apartment. Akira shook his head in an attempt to banish the kitsune from his mind; he had work to do.

 

*               *              *

 

By the time Akira finished work it was around four in the morning and he slowly clambered tiredly into his car to make his way home for a well-earned rest. It’d been a pretty busy night; begin a Saturday the bar was fuller than it usually was on weeknights which meant Akira needed to be on his toes for most of the night, especially when people got some alcohol into them and they went a bit silly. There was always an idiot or two who decided that they wanted to try a table dance or something stupid like that. At time like that the blond bartender was just lucky he hadn’t taken up a job as a bouncer. He wouldn’t want to deal with all of that shit He had to put up with enough just being behind the bar.

 

Akira drove the ten to fifteen minute drive home and hauled his dead tired legs up the few flights of stairs to his apartment. Stepping inside and locking the door behind himself he found that almost every light in the house was on. What Uruha trying to do? Run up his electricity bill or something? He swore he was going to end up killing that damn fox. With a disapproving grunt, Akira threw his car keys into the small glass bowl on the little table next to the door.

 

“Uruha?” He called out into his apartment. Wandering down the short hallway, switching off lights as he went, Akira found that the light to the bathroom was on and the door was left slightly ajar. Frowning, Akira rolled his eyes and entered his bedroom and began changing.

 

After the blond had slipped into a pair of loose fitting pyjama pants and a white singlet, he poked his head of the door and eyed the bathroom. What the hell was Uruha doing in there, anyway? Will an annoyed roll of his eyes, Akira exited his bedroom to investigate what the kitsune was doing.

 

“Uruha, what are you doing?” He called out, receiving no answer yet again. Ok, that was strange. Usually Uruha would have replied, he always liked to make sure his presence was known to Akira. Reaching the bathroom door Akira pushed it open and took a step inside, “Uruh-”

 

Akira froze.

 

There on the ground in front of him, partially hidden by a white bath towel, was a raven coloured fox. It clearly wasn’t moving and Akira’s heart leapt into his throat as he rushed forward and crouched down next to the creature. He couldn’t see any sign of blood and luckily he could see that Uruha was in fact breathing; Akira decided that he was just unconscious. But what had caused it? Why had Uruha reverted back to his original form? Should he call Yutaka? No, that’d only send him into a panic which wouldn’t help Akira’s situation at all.

 

“Uruha?” Akira called out quietly as he cautiously reached forward and placed his hand on the side of the kitsune’s body. Uruha’s soft black fur felt like silk under his fingertips and Akira recalled that it was exactly the way his hair felt as well. The blond bartender relished in the feeling for only a short moment before he snapped back to reality. This wasn’t the time to be admiring Uruha’s fur; this was the time to be worrying about what had actually happened to the raven. Akira shook Uruha’s body lightly, trying to rouse him without completely alarming him. “Uruha… Oi, Uruha wake up.”

 

When he still received no indication that the fox would regain consciousness Akira remove the towel and scooped the creature up into his arms. Careful not to stir the sleeping kitsune, Akira gingerly placed Uruha down on his futon and pulled the covers up over him, making sure that the pillow was positioned comfortably under his head. The blond figured that there was nothing he could really do until Uruha regained consciousness, but he’d decided that he’d call Yutaka later in the morning if the kitsune wasn’t back to normal.

 

The blond sat and watched Uruha for what seemed like forever; he felt like if he took his eyes off the fox for even a fraction of a moment something terrible might happen. Slowly the minutes ticked by, eventually turning into hours and Akira was seriously contemplating picking up the phone and getting Yutaka over there quick smart. He knew it’d probably send his brunet friend into a frenzy but he felt like he was really starting to run out of options. Nothing was able to wake Uruha up. But just he was about to stand up and locate his phone, a quiet whine came from the sleeping creature.

 

Akira’s eyes widened as he settled down beside the fox and softly petted its fluffy ears as they twitched ever so slightly. “Hey,” the blond breathed as the fox’s nose wiggled a little. If Uruha weren’t such and arse sometimes Akira would think he looked cute in his fox form, though he’d never admit that aloud.

 

Akira watched as the air around Uruha’s black fur began to waver and shimmer slightly and when the hair all over his body began to shrink the blond guessed he must’ve been shifting back into his human form. The bartender sat by and watched as Uruha’s body slowly began to retake the shape of a human’s, a naked human’s at that. It was an amazing thing to watch, Akira thought. Even though he’d only ever seen Uruha transform twice he thought he could never get tired of watching the transfixing sight. Soon the last of Uruha’s black fur was gone and in its place was the raven Akira knew all too well. Except he looked just a little more fragile than he had before as he curled against the blond’s futon with his knees tucked up to his chest, arms wrapped securely around himself. He was shuddering ever so slightly and his eyes remained closed.

 

“Uruha…” Akira cautiously reached a hand out to brush fingertips along the raven’s shoulder and instantly Uruha jerked away from the gentle touch as his emerald coloured eyes snapped open and focussed on Akira. For a moment there was no recognition in those orbs, just what appeared to be fright. The thought of Uruha actually being afraid made Akira frown slightly and hold back from touching the kitsune. “It’s alright, Uruha,” he tried to reassure in a gentle voice. “It’s only me… It’s Akira.”

 

Slowly, the raven’s eyes seemed to clear and soften as he looked at Akira; eyelids then beginning to droop. The tension that’d built in Uruha’s shoulders left as he slumped a little against the fabric of the futon. His eyes fluttered shut in an exhausted manner and for fear that he may pass out again, Akira reached out a hand again and put it over Uruha’s arm. “Hey. Stay with me, alright?” He urged, not wanting to seem too forceful. “Stay awake; I don’t want you drifting off on me again.”

 

Uruha’s eyes reopened again, darting down to look at the hand clasping his forearm loosely before refocussing on Akira’s face. The raven’s breath seemed almost laboured, as if he really was incredibly exhausted. So, carefully, he reached down and lifted Uruha’s bare ankles off the edge of the sheet so he could bring it up and place it over the kitsune’s slightly shivering frame. The blond settle down next to Uruha, who was still eyeing him curiously, and sighed; he really hated to push, but he needed answers. “Can you tell me what happened, Uruha?”

 

Uruha seemed to be giving himself a few moments to regain his ability to speak as he swallowed a few times and wetted his lips with a dart of his tongue. Akira patiently waited and a minute or two later Uruha’s voice sounded, far weaker than it normal was. “I… was too far away from my star ball,” he explained in almost a pained whisper.

 

Akira’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean?”

 

Uruha shut his eyes for a moment and Akira was almost worried he wasn’t going to open them again, but sure enough in the next moment those deep emerald pools stared at him again. “A kitsune can never be too far away from its star ball. If it is it could die. Luckily…” the raven paused and scrunched his face up slightly before relaxing again. “Luckily you don’t work too far away. That’s why I didn’t mention it, I thought I’d be ok.”

 

Suddenly Akira felt like the worst human being on earth. He should’ve known something like that might happen. Of course, he couldn’t have known because Uruha had never mentioned it but there were so many little details about kitsunes that he should’ve at lease suspected _something_. The blond’s eyebrows drew together almost pitifully, “I’m sorry.”

 

Uruha’s lip curled mocking and he ‘tsh’ed, “Don’t apologize, you idiot. See, that’s the weakness I can’t stand. You’re such a stupid push-over.”

 

Akira couldn’t help but laugh a little; even in his drowsy state Uruha still managed to be the snarky fox he always was. The bartender would be lying if he said he wasn’t fond of that side of the kitsune; though that was another thing he’d never admit to. However his smile faded as he watched Uruha shift a little and grimace. “Are you in pain?” Akira asked, shuffling a little closer, ready to inspect the kitsune for injuries though he imagined the raven wouldn’t be too happy with that.

 

Uruha grumbled a little, “I think I just landed funny before.” Akira watched Uruha’s hand underneath the blanket as it rubbed over his side, probably where he was hurting. “My stupid body picked the most inconvenient moment to give out on me. I was just about to get in the shower and I’m pretty sure that I wacked my side on the basin as I went down.”

 

“…Do you mind if I take a look?” Akira wondered cautiously and hurried to explain himself when the kitsune shot him an odd look. “You and I both know that Yutaka would have a fit if he found out you’d collapsed and hurt yourself. So you can either deal with my quick once-over or Yutaka’s constant nagging,” Akira deduced.

 

Uruha scrunched his nose up, “…I’d rather not deal with that nuisance… Go ahead.”

 

Akira pursed his lips at Uruha’s little insult to his best friend, but elected to ignore it. There was no need to start any unnecessary conflict at the moment. Shuffling closer so that his knees almost Uruha’s own bent ones, Akira slowly reached for the covers as if he were afraid that the kitsune would suddenly decide to bite his hand off. When Uruha provided no resistance, the blond grasped the sheet and pulled it down so that it lay loosely over the raven’s slender hips. Akira had to admit that Uruha did have a very nice body. He was all lean muscle and sharp curves, which were very enticing qualities for the bartender. But he knew he had to refrain from touching Uruha like that. One, because it would only give the raven an excuse to pursue him more and two, because Yutaka would probably kill him… as would Yuu once he thought about it.

 

Drawing his eyes away from Uruha’s sharp hipbones, the blond shifted his gaze to the raven’s side where his hand still rested, blocking the abused area from Akira’s line of vision. Carefully, the blond took ahold of Uruha’s wrist and drew it away so he could see the skin underneath. The raven’s hand flopped lifelessly to the floor when Akira let it go and he found it strange how compliant Uruha was being, but he didn’t bother to question it. He figured that maybe the kitsune was just too tired to fight back or offer any kind of resistance.

 

Akira swallowed when he saw that the skin over Uruha’s ribs was a nice deep blue colour. “Wow, you really got yourself good, foxy,” Akira mused as he lightly touched the skin with his fingertips, feeling Uruha jerk away and hiss.

 

“Well don’t poke it, moron!” Uruha growled, though there wasn’t really much behind his attempt to probably be intimidating. “Besides, are you almost done checking me out? If you keep touching me I might get a boner and that won’t be good for either of us.”

 

Akira chuckled. Leave it up to Uruha to say something totally inappropriate like that. “Yeah, I’m done,” Akira stated, ignoring the fox’s boner comment as he pulled the sheet back up and placed it over the tempting raven. Akira thought that if _he_ kept looking at Uruha he might end up in a similar situation which _definitely_ wouldn’t be good for his whole ‘no sex with Uruha’ thing, which was a rule he’d set for himself after he’d discovered he definitely was sexually attracted to him. Drawing his mind away from the topic of fucking Uruha, Akira sat back and said, “Do you want me to get you anything?”

 

The fox shot him a suspicious glance, “Why’re you being so nice to me? Usually you don’t really care to make sure I’m comfortable and all that kind of shit.”

 

Akira supposed he had a point, but the blond felt bad. Because he hadn’t been there, Uruha could’ve died and he knew that Yutaka would definitely kill him if that’d happened. He knew that no matter what Uruha did Yutaka would always consider him his brother. The brunet was just too nice to ever really hold a grudge. With a sigh the blond replied to Uruha’s question, “Because I want you to be comfortable here. I may have to be an arsehole and keep ahold of your star ball, but you shouldn’t be in any unnecessary danger… I really wish you’d told me about what’d happen if I went too far away. This whole situation could’ve been avoided, you know,” Akira added quietly.

 

Uruha cast his eyes down, almost as if he were ashamed that he hadn’t mentioned that small little detail to Akira. The blond was slightly taken aback. That wasn’t like Uruha at all. That submissiveness. It was baffling and Akira couldn’t help but feel a small twinge in his gut as he watched the kitsune roll over onto his side so that his back faced Akira, mumbling that he was tired and wanted to sleep. This was a whole new side to Uruha that Akira had never seen before. He almost seemed weak and the bartender wasn’t surprised; it was terrifying how close Uruha had actually come to death that night. It was astonishing to him that his best friend’s brother could’ve died because of his stupid ignorance. The blond’s gut churned at the very thought. He’d never been responsible for anyone’s life before, he’d never held such power. If he really wanted he could kill Uruha at any moment; all he had to day was crush the kitsune’s star ball and that’d be the end of everything. But he could never ever be that cruel.

 

With slightly pinched lips Akira shuffled a little closer, “Do you… do you mind if I stay here tonight? Sleeping on the lounge room floor isn’t really doing wonders for my back.” When he didn’t get a response from the raven he continued to blabber on in a rush, “Plus, I really haven’t got time to pull out the spare futon seeing as it’s so early in the morning and I feel like I’m about to collapse from exhaustion. I promise I won’t-”

 

“Just shut up,” Uruha snapped, stopping Akira mid-ramble. The raven rolled over onto his back again and shot Akira an irritated look as he lifted his arm slightly. “Get under here.”

 

Akira was slightly taken aback by Uruha’s willing invitation but nevertheless, he peeled off his jacket and slipped under the sheet. He had to focus incredibly hard on not touching any part of Uruha as he lay down beside the kitsune. Akira was hyperaware that Uruha was still very much naked under those covers and he had to make sure that his mind didn’t wander. The blond’s body tensed when he felt a hand slide over his abdomen and slip under his shirt, rubbing lazy circles against his happy trail.

 

“Uruha…”Akira mumbled as he felt one of the raven’s smooth legs glide over his own. “What are you doing? This is no time for your games. I-”

 

“Oh, shush,” the raven breathed against the skin of his neck, making Akira tense ever more, and he surprised the blond when he nuzzled closer. “Just relax. I’m only getting comfortable, I’m not trying anything. Believe it or not, foxes can be very affectionate creatures and I happen to like cuddling. Besides, it’s not often I get the chance to...”

 

Akira swallowed heavily and tried to best to relax just like Uruha had said. He could feel his heartbeat hammering against his ribcage as if it were trying to break free so it wouldn’t have to deal with having such a beautiful creature so close to it. Cautiously, the bartender slid his hand underneath the raven and curled it against his back. It felt odd, Akira thought. To have Uruha so close but not have the kitsune trying to molest him or harm him in any kind of way. Akira almost thought, while Uruha was in such a mellow state, about poking around in sensitive topics of discussion like what Uruha’s side of the entire story was or why he loathed Yutaka so intensely, even though he already knew; but that was only from Yutaka’s point of view. However he deduced that asking such questions may be pushing it a little. So instead he settled for shifting a little, pulling Uruha against himself and lightly pushing his nose into the raven’s mop of ebony coloured hair. Drowsiness began to quickly take over Akira’s mind. Because of the situation he’d come home to he’d forgotten how tired he really was. Hence his breathing began to even out and his eyelids drooped, sleep eventually completely took over.

 

*                        *                      *

 

Feather-light touches running up and down his chest roused Akira from his deep sleep. He felt fully rested and yet he still didn’t want to open his eyes. And so he remained still, enjoying the blissful strokes against his chest. However the bartender couldn’t help but frown when that touch strayed south, running lightly along the waistline of his pants which hung low on his hips. In the next moment, Akira’s eyes snapped open as the touch slipped into his pants and lanky fingers closed around his cock, which he hadn’t realized was hard until that moment. As his eyes opened fully, Akira coming face to face with the smirk of a very devious looking kitsune. Uruha stared down at him, a predatory look in the raven’s eyes as his hand glided over Akira erection, pulling a soft groan from the blond.

 

“Well good morning, there,” The raven teased as he leaned forward and ran the tip of his tongue over Akira’s top lip before placing a light peck at the corner of his mouth. “I must say, I was surprised to feel this little gem against my hip when I woke up.” Uruha accentuated his statement with a small squeeze to Akira’s cock, making the blond’s head fall back and his hips push up.

 

“Uruha…” Akira whispered, afraid that if he opened his mouth too far he may not be able to contain his moans. He wasn’t going to lie, Uruha’s hand on his aching erection felt _so good_. It’d been ages since he’d last felt another man’s touch and the sensation of a hand that wasn’t his own gliding over his dick, rubbing just under the head, squeezing _just_ enough to help the precome bead at the slit felt absolutely amazing. Akira really didn’t know how much longer he’d last; it almost seemed like Uruha knew _exactly_ what to do to make him writhe and have him coming in no time at all. Akira gazed up through his eyelashes and made eye contact with the raven, the look in the devious vixen’s emerald coloured orbs made the bartender give up all control. Rolling his eyes back, he didn’t bother holding in a groan as he pushed his hips up again, meeting Uruha on the downstroke.

 

“That’s it,” Uruha whispered against the corner of his mouth. “Don’t fight me. Just give in.”

 

The sound of the kitsune’s velvety voice in Akira’s eardrums drove him further. “Oh god…” Akira groaned, starting to rhythmically thrust his hips upwards; fucking himself into Uruha’s hand. Everything felt so heavenly; the raven’s tongue dipping into the crease of his lips to ease them open to begin a dance with his own slick muscle, Uruha’s hand moving over his cock, bringing him closer and closer to the edge. The blond’s hand latched onto the kitsune’s bare shoulder as his thumb brushed over the slit of Akira’s cock and then moved down to tease the sensitive nerves just underneath the corona. “ _Ah!_ ” Akira cried, breaking their sloppy kiss as his eyes snapped open to focus on Uruha and his back arched. “Oh yeah, right there…! Right there…” That spot just under the head had always been one of the places he was most sensitive.

 

“Yeah?” Uruha gave a small grin. “There? Like this?” He asked needlessly as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the same spot, drawing hoarse moans and grunts from Akira’s rapidly fluctuating chest. “You like that?” The kitsune growled in an animalistic manor as he kept his thumb on the same spot and quickly jerked the blond’s shaft.

 

“Oh, _fuck_!” Akira cried as his back arched and he came into Uruha’s hand, a few drops also landing on his own abdomen which he now noticed was on display after Uruha must’ve undone his shirt. The raven panted against the corner of his mouth before growling and then letting out what could almost be considered a soft mewl, shuddering slightly. It was then Akira realized that Uruha must’ve been stroking his own dick while the raven was jerking him off, getting off on watching Akira writhe and moan.

 

The blond slumped back onto the futon underneath him as he watched Uruha rise up to lean on his elbow and lift the hand he’d just been using to jerk Akira to his mouth, licking off every drop of the blond’s come. Groaning, the bartender thought that if he hadn’t just come he’d probably be hard again. Uruha was just too tempting, he couldn’t have resisted any longer even if he’d wanted to and now that he’d had a taste of what the kitsune could do he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to resist again; which could be very, _very_ dangerous.

 

“You’re so hot,” Uruha mumbled, capturing Akira’s glistening lips in a heated kiss. “I just couldn’t resist touching you when you woke me up with such a nice surprise.”

 

Akira grunted, still recovering from possibly one of the best orgasms he’d ever had… and it’d only been a handjob! “Don’t get used to it,” the blond grumbled after he’d caught his breath. Reopening his eyes he looked up at the raven vixen who was smirking down at him. “It’s not gonna happen again.”

 

Uruha chuckled and kissed him again, “Yeah, right. Let’s see how long that las-”

 

The raven was cut off by a sharp knocking coming from the front door which caught Akira’s attention and made him frown. Glancing at the clock he saw the red digits reading just past midday. Surely that couldn’t be Yutaka… the brunet probably wouldn’t be awake for another few hours. Akira knew for a fact that his best friend loved his sleep more than anything else. Aoi had no idea where he lived, so there was no way it could be him. The only other thing he could think of would maybe be his landlord… but he’d only just paid the rent last week.

 

Uruha’s curious gaze followed him as he stood up and re-buttoned his pants and did up his shirt. In an attempt to flatten his bed-mussed hair, Akira ran his fingers through his dyed blond locks but soon gave up when he realized that he’d need to take a shower in order to get rid of this bed hair. Not once did the knocking let up and Uruha stood up as well, quickly picking up a pair of Akira’s sweat pants that were lying on the ground, slipping them on as he trailed after the blond who exited the bedroom, journeying towards the source of their disruption. Akira reached the door, Uruha leaning against the archway that lead into the hallway where he could observe who was so furiously knocking. The bartender grumbled under his breath as he opened the door.

 

“What took you so goddamn long?!” Bellowed a voice Akira absolutely didn’t know. He had to jump out of the way as a figure strode into his apartment. It was a man Akira had never seen before in his life but he looked like the kind of guy who _would_ go to a gay bar wearing sparkly spandex pants and a leopard print shirt. The short man had bleached blond hair with dark roots coming through; he wore a tailored red velvet suit with gold chains and his lips were covered in bright red lipstick; over his shoulder he carried a large gold handbag.

 

“Um…” Akira started as he stared wide eyed at the man standing in his doorway. “Who are you…?”

 

The flamboyant blond man opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by a small bark which came from… his handbag? In the next moment a small head popped out of the gold atrocity which was then followed by a loud shriek. Akira’s head whipped around and he watched as Uruha darted away from the hallway, leaping over the couch and jumping up onto the dining table situated on the other side of the room.

 

“What the fuck are you doing here?!” Uruha yelled, shifting backwards on the table as a small brown dog jumped out of the man’s gold handbag and trotted in his direction. Akira watched as Uruha’s ears rapidly appeared through the tuft of black on top of his head, flattening defensively, and his seven tails popped out from the back of his sweatpants, whipping from side to side. “And why the _fuck_ did you bring that _thing_ here?!”

 

“Don’t call Koron a _thing_ , Uruha,” snapped the bleached blond in a offended voice as he bent down and picked up the dog which had skipped back over to its master. “You know very well that he’s my _pet_.”

 

“Will you tell me what the hell is going on!?” Akira suddenly bellowed. “Who the hell are you and why are you in my goddamn apartment?” He jabbed a finger at the unknown man before turning to Uruha who’s eyes were still wide and focussed on the dog in his ‘friend’s’ arms. “And why the hell are _you_ acting all skittish? And will you please get off my table? I have to eat dinner on that, you know.”

 

Uruha reluctantly took his eyes away from the newly arrived man and looked straight at Akira, a troubled frown marring his usually flawless face. The kitsune sighed and his ears lay flat against his head, suggesting he was angry, upset or defeated; possibly a combination of all of them. “Akira… this is Ruki… he’s my cousin.”


End file.
